Isn the shiftwork on Emergency Medicine pretty hard?
It’s true that the Emergency Department, like inpatient medicine must be open 24/7. Other specialties consider continuity of care and thus use call schedules to cover the night time. In this way interns normally get some sleep – little other than occasional emergencies and the need for sleep aids occur overnight on the floors because the patients have already been stabilized. On the other hand, the ED may be just as active at night as it is by day. Thus, fresh physicians are more important than continuity, and shiftwork prevails. While you won’t be working 36 hours straight every four days like you may on call, the disruptions to the circadian rhythym in alternating between night and day shifts are very real. Of course, the reality is that many professions practice night shifts, and we all do just fine. For more information, check out this great eMedicine article. For other questions, email us with your suggestions or consult the Mentor thread on the Student Doctor Network fr more pers
